The Strenght of a Raging Fire
by RasenganRendan
Summary: A year after Asuma's death, Chouji has changed drastically and Ino has fallen in love with him in secret. Will she be able to tell him how she feels or will he finally tell her of his undying love for her. InoxChouji RxR don't know if oneshot or not


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

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It has been a year since Asuma's death, many things have happened since then to not only Team 10 but to Konoha. Kurenai had given birth to her and Asuma's child a couple months earlier, an addition to the Sarutobi family had come in Shikamaru Sarutobi. Kurenai had graciously named the child after her deceased husband's favorite student and avenger of his death. Playing with little Shikamaru was one of Chouji's favorite activities whenever he wasn't training to his fullest or on a mission.

He, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Hinata had all became Jonin a month ago and had been quite busy. Naruto had recently killed off half of Akatsuki; Zetsu, Deidara, and Tobi. But recently he had taken off from his hunt for his enemies; he had found another activity, loving Hinata. He had realized her feelings on a mission with her after his mission with Team 10 and the killing of Kakuza. He has quickly realized that she was the component in his life that he had been missing the whole time. Now they were inseparable, even living together in the newly reopened Kazama Compound. Upon turning 16 Naruto had been given the information on his family. Revealing that Yondaime was his father, he was the son of a Hokage and it made it really easy to get Hiashi's approval for his relationship with Hinata. Recommendations had even been made to appoint him Hokage.

Orochimaru's corpse had been found a long time ago along with the slaughtered members of the Sound village. It was no more and there was no sign of Sasuke anywhere, it was guessed that he murdered them all and went off on a search for Itachi.

Many people had worked hard during the last year because of the hardships that were coming about, but none more than Chouji. He had devoted himself to training after his Sensei's death, going to the woods every day all day to perfect himself. Rock Lee was amazed at the effort that Chouji put in, stating that he was the new genius of hard work in Konoha. During his year of intense training he had lost all of the fat that had clung to his bones, replacing it with powerful rippling muscle. To say that he had become cold and anti-social during this time would be like a slap in the face of Chouji, if anything he had gotten even warmer. He went out with his friends all the time and was the first to help anyone if they needed either advise or a strong back.

Since his physical transformation he had become the new object of affection of the majority of the females in Konoha. He still was no pretty boy, but the embodiment of power, compassion, and what a man should be. But despite their efforts he always refused their advances with a smile and a polite answer. He had always had one person on his mind and he could never see himself with anyone other than the blonde beauty on his team. But despite his advances he still thought that he wasn't good enough to be anything other than her friend.

Little did he know the she had realized herself that she loved him as well a while after their mission with Naruto. She had gone to get him to invite him to a dinner for both the Ino-Shika-Cho teams when she found him training in a clearing in the forest with a gigantic boulder in it. He was going through taijutsu training to pick his speed up as well as shed the pounds, he had lost most of it and Ino had found herself watching him walk away for often than she had earlier. But during this training she saw he was going trough the motions when he did something that she had never seen before. He did an odd hand sign and gigantic blue butterfly wings of chakra erupted from his back. He then channeled it into his fist and connected it to the boulder with a little more than a tap. Then the boulder exploded like it had been hit with Lee's Final Lotus! It left Chouji panting and on the ground exhausted.

It was then that he began to talk to him self. "Why? Why couldn't I do it? I couldn't save Asuma-sensei. I hate myself for not being able to help, but still on the verge of death he told me he was proud of me! He said that I would get strong because of my kindness and compassion, and that I just needed to believe in myself! I do, but I'm still not strong enough. I have to get stronger!" A tear rolled down Ino's cheek as she watched her friend beat himself up over guilt and just how much he cared. Chouji struggled to his feet and dragged himself over to a nearby tree, slamming his fist into it a shower of splinters followed the small earthquake that followed from Chouji's punch. "I refuse to lose on of my precious people again!! I have to do this…for everyone. To protect them all, for Ino, Shikamaru, Kurenai, Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, and everyone else!!" He yelled as another tree exploded.

Ino then felt something she had never felt before, she desperately wanted to go down there and hug him with everything she had. To take his pain away and be there by his side to help him and have him help her. But she thought that he wouldn't think of her as more than a friend. She knew from that moment on that there was only one man in her life that she would give her whole heart too, and that was Chouji. The problem now was being able to tell him.

Today Chouji was watching Shikamaru Sarutobi while Kurenai went out for some supplies when Ino stopped by for a visit. "Ohayo Chouji!" She said as she walked in seeing her muscled secret love. He popped he head up from tickling Shikamaru with a smile that made Ino want to melt.

"Oh hey Ino! How are you doing, Kurenai is out right now it's just me here." He said all the while holding the baby in his chiseled arms. When Ino saw his doing this she could see that he would be a wonderful father and secretly wished that it would be their child.

"I'm just fine, I heard you were going to taking care of Shikamaru so I figured I'd keep you company." She said, a smile plastered on her face.

"That's really thoughtful Ino, but you know you didn't have to. If you want to go hang out with Sakura or someone instead of babysitting with me that's fine."

"Chouji, I would much rather spend my time with you than that billboard brow. Besides, I promised to take care of you and that lazy idiot. Or did you forget what Asuma told us before he died." She said jokingly.

But Chouji didn't take it that way, she could see him tense up and look down at the last thing that Asuma had left them with. "No, I didn't. I'm sorry Ino." He said almost inaudibly. "Especially not today…" Then it hit her, how could she have been so stupid. Today was the anniversary of his death; it was probably why Kurenai left for the day. See needed to go mourn and not see Shikamaru, who looks almost exactly like his father excepting the facial hair.

She looked over to see that Shikamaru had fallen asleep in Chouji's loving arms like she dreamed she could. Chouji was lost in thought of the day a year past, so Ino picked up the child and put him down in his crib. Coming back Chouji was still sitting on the couch in the same position but he was holding his head in shame, tears rolling down his cheeks. Ino sat next to him and did the only thing that came to mind. She reached over and pulled him into a big warm and caring hug, letting him weep into he shoulder as she held him. "It's ok Chouji, we did all we could. You have become a wonderful man and ninja; I know Asuma-sensei would be proud of you. I know I am." She said with a smile, hoping that it would pull him out from his teary depression.

Chouji then sat up and rubbed the tears from his eyes, when he looked back at Ino he saw her concern and her want to care for him. "Gomen Ino, I didn't mean to break down like that. I just miss him a lot."

Ino shifter a little closer to the loving powerhouse that is Chouji. "I know, I miss him too. We just need to remember all the good times we had with him, and continue on with the things he gave us. Like Shikamaru, and the team…he was the one that…b-brought us together." She said trying to find the courage to him how she felt.

It was then she felt a powerful but gentle hand on her shoulder. She leaned into it and found herself with his arm around her and her head on his shoulder. She felt at home, safer than she ever had been; she felt perfect and wanted to stay that way forever. "Ino…" She looked up to see a slight blush on Chouji's face. "I need to tell you something." Ino tilted her head cutely wondering what it could be. "Well it's really important so please don't say anything until I'm done." She nodded. Chouji sighed slightly gathering up his courage. "You know when I went on Shikamaru's first mission as a Chunin to get Sasuke back. You also know of how I almost died by using the Red Pill of my clan, I should have died after I took that pill but I didn't. When I found that I had no more strength left to move I sat down at the base of a tree. Knowing I would probably die I began to think, but what I thought about saved my life. It gave me the will to survive. Do you know what it was Ino?"

She shook her head, fully into the story. "It was you…the chance to see your smiling face again is what gave me the strength to live on. I can never be happier than when you're smiling. I…I love you Ino. It's like breathing, I've always done it and it's the easiest thing I know. I don't know what I'd do without you Ino, it's taken me 10 years to say it…but I love you with all my heart and I can't even imagine loving any one but you."

Ino was deep in shock, she had always known that Chouji was very to himself about his deeper feelings. But to hide this for 10 years, it was something unimaginable for her. She had fallen in love with him less than a year ago, and not telling him over that time was tearing her apart. To have to deal with that for 10 years and still become the man Chouji had become was amazing to the blonde. She then did the only thing that came to her shocked mind; she reached up and gave him a loving kiss while tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. When she pulled back and saw the surprise on Chouji's face she spoke up. "I-I love you too Chouji. I've been hiding it for almost a year now, but to hide it for 10! I'm so sorry I was a stupid little girl and wasn't there for you. I don't ever want you to be alone again."

Tears were now coming from Chouji's eyes as well also accompanied by the biggest smile she had ever seen on him. He then pulled her closer for a deeper more passionate kiss that seemed to make fireworks explode behind them. After what seemed like hours to the two they separated. Cuddling into Chouji's warmth Ino had a smile that rivaled Naruto's on her face. "Ino, you've made me the happiest man alive." He then kissed the top of her head, but then he heard her breaths slow. He looked down to see she had fallen asleep in his arms, just like he had dreamed countless times. "Neither of us will ever be alone again." He said as she shut his eyes with the girl of his dreams in his arms.

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**Ok there you go, I am still wondering if I should just make this a one-shot or continue it and make a story of it. **

**I'll let you people decide, for all the ChouIno fans out there. Review me and tell me if I should make this a story or not. I'll judge on if I should from the reviews.**


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